curriculum vitae

GORDON HAYWARD

Eur.Ing. M.A. Ph.D. M.I.Mech.E. C.Eng. M.Erg.S. M.E.W.I.

MA in Engineering (Cantab) 1974

PhD in Metallurgy (Birmingham) 1980

Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Registered Member of the Ergonomics Society

Founding Member of the Expert Witness Institute

Individual Member of British Standards Institution

Summary of most relevant experience

Before establishing GH Associates (an expert witness service) and Consumer Risk Limited (a consultancy specialising in consumer hazards, product liability and accident prevention), Gordon Hayward gained a wide experience of product standards, injury statistics and accident analysis through his work as Hazard Analysis Manager and Deputy Head of Research in the Department of Trade and Industry’s Consumer Safety Unit, and as a UK national expert on European standards committees. Recent projects have included work for multi-national manufacturers, leading UK retailers, state-of-the-art public service providers, and the European Commission.

• Called upon as an expert witness in product safety, work injury and occupiers liability cases by solicitors for plaintiffs and defence and by trading standards in cases ranging from balloons to hammer drills.
• Associate expert for Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Institute of Consumer Ergonomics.
• Advisor to Government, consumer product manufacturers, importers and retailers and to consumer service providers.
• World-wide contacts with other experts in product hazard analysis, safety requirements and accident prevention.
• Published journal articles and international conference papers including "Risk per hour of exposure to consumer products", and "Helping Judges judge safety."
• Guest editor of leading international journal "Accident Analysis and Prevention"
• Formerly responsible for the UK’s surveillance system for monitoring consumer accidents
• Listed in "Who's who in science & engineering" (from 6^th edition)

Fields of work include:

DIY and vehicle maintenance equipment. Toys. Play and educational equipment. Pushchairs, nursery and childcare products. Choking hazards. Child-resistant features. Domestic glazing, doors and other construction products. Ladders and access equipment. Garden tools. Furniture. Food processors, cooking and kitchen equipment. Heating and lighting. Electrical, gas, oil and solid fuel appliances. Barbecues. Cigarette lighters. Cycles. Clothing. Protective equipment. Stairlifts and mobility aids. Exercise, sports and leisure equipment. Packaging. Labels, warnings and instructions. Rented accommodation, hotels and holiday lettings. Schools and colleges. Slipping and tripping accidents. Public access areas.

Full experience

1997 - GH Associates and Consumer Risk Limited

Established unique expert witness service and a consultancy specialising in consumer product hazard prevention, accident data and safety legislation, offering advice, analysis, research and expert witness services to Government, industry and the legal profession.

• Called upon as an expert witness in product safety by solicitors for plaintiffs and defence and by trading standards in cases ranging from balloons to hammer drills.
• Included in UK Register of Expert Witness from 1997 and Law Society Directory of Expert Witnesses from 1999.
• Associate expert witness for Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Institute of Consumer Ergonomics
• Completed Thomas Sands and Bond Solon Expert Witness Training Courses including Report Writing and Courtroom Skills
• Invited to join Editorial Advisory Board of Accident Analysis and Prevention
• Appointed BSI Consumer Panel representative on technical committees for electrical appliances and motorised garden tools
• Presented papers to World Conference on Injury Prevention and Control, International Conference on Product Safety Research and Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Published articles in the Solicitors’ Journal and on Institute of Trading Standards Administration web site.

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1995 - 1996 Department of Trade and Industry - Overseas Trade Services

Deputy Director of Export Services

As part of the Secretary of State's expansion of Government Export Services, specially selected and promoted to oversee the introduction of office automation, and the development of special databases for the staff engaged in Trade Policy & Export Promotion work, to streamline services to industry.

• Heavily involved in discussions with Export Market Directors. Introduced project management systems to Overseas Trade Services.
• Invited to join Review Panel of the leading international safety journal, Accident Analysis and Prevention.

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1981-1995 Department of Trade and Industry - Consumer Safety Unit

Originally especially recruited to evaluate Government Safety Regulations and Product Safety Policies. Progressively promoted to become UK Government representative on national and international issues, particularly those within the scope of the European Commission.

1993-1995 Hazard Analysis Manager

Given wider responsibility and authority to represent DTI on UK delegations dealing in matters with a European dimension.

• Formulated UK Government's comments on draft British and European Standards and Directives.
• Developed close working relationships with representatives of manufacturing, testing, consumer and governmental interests in many other European countries.
• Organised successful lobby of other countries' delegations to secure votes for rejection of a draft European standard that was less demanding than that of the British Standard.
• Commissioned research to support UK arguments on safety requirements for such items as furniture, glass cabinets, cigarette lighters, child harnesses, pushchairs etc.,.
• Advised Central and Local Government officials on interpretation of product safety standards. Advised UK manufacturers on current and forthcoming product safety legislation. Advised interested parties on the impact of recently introduced foreign regulations on UK imports and exports.
• Identified need to investigate hazards of new types of products such as baby sleep supports.
• Called upon as an expert witness in product safety cases.

1987-1993 Deputy Head of Research

Given additional responsibility for the major part of the Research budget, building on earlier contribution to the growing success of the Home Accident Surveillance System.

• Revolutionised and upgraded the whole information gathering, transmitting and collating process. Created one of the World's most advanced and sophisticated accident intelligence units. Devised and implemented analytical coding system providing an accurate and detailed facility enabling rapid response to Public concerns e.g. car axle stands.
• Instigated and managed building of new computer system. Replaced slow, outdated manual inputs and resource sapping verification practices. Trained and equipped national team of 100 interviewer/ researchers each with their own PCs providing regular data on disk to central DTI computer. Reduced clerical personnel with significant cost savings.
• Acted as Editor and Publication Manager of the DTI's Home & Leisure Accident Research Data, the annual statistical analysis of accidents in the home by the Consumer Safety Unit, thousands of copies of which are circulated to the Media, Trade Organisations and Trading Standards Officers and other interested parties.
• Directly dealt with all aspects of non-policy Media coverage. Close association with BBC's "Watchdog" programme series.
• Commissioned promotional video and developed concept of "corporate identity" to promote the Home Accident Surveillance System services.
• "Sold" research services to other Governmental Departments.

1981-1987 Higher and then later Senior Scientific Officer

Dealt with Senior Civil Servants advising Ministers on a large number of policy matters. Provided answers to Parliamentary questions. Produced minutes, briefings and reports. Contributed to inter-Departmental and Agency meetings. Liaised with numerous Central Government sources, Local Government Chief Officers, Pressure Groups, Trade Organisations, Consumer Associations, Standards, University and Academic Institutions. Member of the team that identified and justified the need for what became the 1987 Consumer Protection Act.

• During this time, selected as one of the original Royal Society/British Association for the Advancement of Science "Media Fellows", and seconded to the BBC as a science and technology reporter.
• BBC "Play it Safe" with Jimmy Saville. Technical Adviser and Statistician to the 13 programme 86/87 series.
• Technical Adviser to many Public Sector TV advertisements on safety e.g. accidents in the home, fireworks, cycle helmets etc.

Devised and supervised tendering and letting of contracts for research projects. Personally involved with many matters e.g.:-

• Compilation and annual publication of the first UK statistics relating to incidence and causes of fatal accidents involving consumer products.
• Public concerns such as Child suffocations, strangulations and entrapments. Clarified the need for action leading to BSI revising their appropriate Standard. Managed the research project that led to BSI developing a Standard for pen tops incorporating an air passage. Similarly involved with furniture flammability, lawnmowers injuries, electric blanket fires, resulting in many unsuitable, dangerous and outdated products being removed from the marketplace.
• Advised on cost benefit analysis techniques for the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation & Development
• Produced evidence that convinced the Government of the need to set up a new section within the DTI to launch and run on-going home accident safety campaigns.

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1980-1981 Cambridge University

Specially invited to take part in strategically important Dept. of the Environment funded project studying decision making methods involved in the disposal of radioactive waste.

• Prevented the DOE from wasting money on inappropriate cost benefit studies. Persuaded them to rely on analysing intangible factors and risks. Influential in clarifying the decision making process.

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1975-1979 University of Birmingham

Awarded MOD Research studentship in the Department of Metallurgy.

• Conducted innovative research into predicting metal fatigue and the working life of components in aircraft frames. Simulated extreme overload effects. Contributed to the sum of knowledge of a then little understood phenomenon.
• Wrote time saving bespoke software allowing more versatile plotting of results. The clearer presentation enabled much improved understanding of complicated analysis.
• Went on study trip to USA to observe pioneering work in the control of fatigue testing machinery. Introduced them to innovative techniques of fatigue crack fingerprinting.

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1970-1975 Ministry of Defence

Whilst still of school age, one of only a handful chosen for the engineering management training scheme at UKAEA atomic weapons research establishment, one of the World's leading pioneers in applying computer techniques to engineering design and manufacture.

Awarded sponsorship to Cambridge University to study for a BA (Eng) degree.

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